Review: "Fives and Twenty-Fives" by Michael Pitre

This is the second story that I have read by a returning veteran from the Middle East. Although this is a fictional account, it is still a gut churning page turner. Again, it makes me truly appreciate the wonderful country we live in and the selfless men and women who give their time and sometimes their lives to keep us free. This story is about what happens in the lives of a marine crew that is charged with repairing the roads Iraq. It details their experiences and their pains and the lasting nightmares that they deal with in their lives back in the states.

I felt bound to keep reading. What happened to each of the characters in Iraq that compelled them to deal with their life situations as they were doing once home. Some were dealing better than others but none were living a normal life with typical emotions and relationships.

The style that the author used was going from present to past and back. I found this confusing at times because I wasn’t sure which character’s story was being told until I would get further into each chapter. This by no means dissuaded me from continuing reading, it was just perplexing.

If you would like more of an understanding of the war in the Middle East and the toll it takes on our soldiers stationed there, pick up this book. If you are like me, the stress of everyday life for all the soldiers is something I couldn’t even imagine and I’m glad I had an opportunity to read this.